Alcohol and speed are not considered factors in a fatal single-vehicle crash Aug. 17 on Highway 881, according to the RCMP. A 26-year old male from Red Deer, Alta.
Alcohol and speed are not considered factors in a fatal single-vehicle crash Aug. 17 on Highway 881, according to the RCMP.
A 26-year old male from Red Deer, Alta. was pronounced dead at the scene and three other passengers were taken to hospital, one by air ambulance, for non-threatening injuries, according to Cst. Natasha Lytwenko of the Fort McMurray RCMP.
Police and emergency crews responded to the crash approximately 150 kilometres north of Lac La Biche at about 9:30 p.m. Aug. 17, and the highway was closed until approximately 5 a.m. the next day.
Lytwenko said that while their initial investigation ruled out speed and alcohol as factors, RCMP are having trouble piecing together how the crash occurred.
"The other three people that were in the vehicle... their recollection is poor, because they were involved in the collision," she said. "So we can only rule out speed and alcohol."
The investigation remains opened until the report from the medical examiner arrives, but Lytwenko says other avenues are closed.
"Because nobody remembers anything and we can't speak to the driver, the options are endless, right?" she said. "Did the driver fall asleep, was the driver on their cellphone, did the driver swerve to avoid an animal, was the driver distracted by something? The list can go on and on, so unfortunately we just don't have that information."
The vehicle was traveling northbound at the time of the crash, and the other occupants are from different towns in Alberta.
